U.S. patent application number 14/233733 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-18 for holding device for an adjustment drive of a motor vehicle seat.
This patent application is currently assigned to C.Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co. KG. The applicant listed for this patent is Robert Landskron, Thorsten Schurmann. Invention is credited to Robert Landskron, Thorsten Schurmann.
Application Number | 20140263891 14/233733 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46513740 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140263891 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Landskron; Robert ; et
al. |
September 18, 2014 |
HOLDING DEVICE FOR AN ADJUSTMENT DRIVE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE SEAT
Abstract
A holding device for an adjustment drive of a motor vehicle
seat, having at least one connection flange formed from plastic
material for fastening the holding device to the vehicle seat. A
fastening clip having at least one holding clip, which can be
adjusted between a locking position and an assembly position in an
elastic manner, is formed on the connection flange on one side and
a locking element is removably formed in a rest position on the
other side. The locking element can be manually relocated through
an opening in the connection flange from the rest position to a
locked position in which the locking element blocks an elastic
relocation of the holding clip into the assembly position.
Inventors: |
Landskron; Robert; (Monheim,
DE) ; Schurmann; Thorsten; (Odenthal, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Landskron; Robert
Schurmann; Thorsten |
Monheim
Odenthal |
|
DE
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
C.Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co.
KG
|
Family ID: |
46513740 |
Appl. No.: |
14/233733 |
Filed: |
July 5, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
July 5, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2012/063150 |
371 Date: |
April 21, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/205.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N 2002/024 20130101;
B60N 2/0232 20130101; B60N 2/067 20130101; F16M 13/02 20130101;
B60N 2/0722 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/205.1 |
International
Class: |
B60N 2/07 20060101
B60N002/07; F16M 13/02 20060101 F16M013/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 22, 2011 |
DE |
10 2011 052 058.9 |
Claims
1. A holding device for an adjustment drive of a motor vehicle
seat, comprising: at least one connection flange formed from a
plastic material for fastening the holding device to the vehicle
seat, wherein on the connection flange a fastening clip having at
least one adjustable retaining stud, which can be adjusted between
the locking position and an assembly position in an elastic manner,
is formed on one side, and a locking element is removably formed in
a rest position on the other side, wherein the locking element can
be manually relocated through an opening in the connection flange
from the rest position into a locking position in which the locking
element blocks an elastic relocation of the retaining stud into the
assembly position.
2. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the retaining
stud has a holding surface running on the outside in the region of
its free end opposite the connection flange.
3. The holding device according to claim 2, wherein the retaining
stud has a shape which narrows from the holding surface toward the
free end.
4. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the fastening
clip has at least two retaining studs arranged offset by
approximately 90.degree., and that jointly have a circular inner
cross-section and/or outer cross-section.
5. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the retaining
studs are arranged adjacent with and run coaxial to the
opening.
6. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the locking
element is formed by a locking pin with a pin body and a pin head,
wherein the free end of the pin body opposite the pin head, when in
rest position, is coaxially connected to the connection flange by
means of a manually destructible plastic bar running coaxial to the
opening, wherein the cross-section of the pin body is designed such
that it can be shoved through the opening.
7. The holding device according to claim 6, wherein the pin body
has a cross-sectional expansion in the region of the pin head.
8. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the connection
flange has positioning pins arranged adjacent to the fastening
clip.
9. The holding device according to claim 1, having a seat section
for bearing a drive unit, and/or at least one channel for bearing a
drive shaft.
10. The holding device according to claim 9, wherein the seat
section, the connection flange, the fastening clip and/or the
locking pin are made of a fiberglass-reinforced and/or
fiber-reinforced plastic.
11. The holding device according to claim 1, having two channels
which connect on opposite sides of a seat section, and each receive
one drive shaft, wherein each of the ends of the channels opposite
the seat section has one connection flange.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a holding device for an adjustment
drive of a motor vehicle seat, having: [0002] at least one
connection flange formed from a plastic material for fastening the
holding device to the vehicle seat.
[0003] Holding devices of the initially-cited type are used on
motor vehicle seats in order e.g. to arrange drive units, generally
electric motors, or drive shafts connected to the drive units, on
the motor vehicle seat where they are connected to an adjusting
device of the motor vehicle seat, by means of which the motor
vehicle seat can be adapted to the needs of the user. Typical
adjustment drives are e.g. seat backrest adjusters, seat
inclination adjusters or a seat length adjusting device, wherein
the vehicle seat can be positioned by means of the latter relative
to the vehicle floor in the longitudinal direction of the
vehicle.
[0004] Generic holding devices are generally designed so that they
can be arranged in conformance with the design requirements on the
components of the motor vehicle seat. When the holding devices are
used to mount a drive unit to adjust the seat length, they are for
example connected to an upper rail of a motor vehicle seat and
thereby allow the position of the drive unit and/or the drive shaft
to be secured so that it is reliably connected to the adjustment
device.
[0005] To ensure that the position of the holding devices is
reliably secured, they generally have a connection flange that is
normally provided with holes for fastening to the motor vehicle
seat that serve to receive fastening screws or rivets by means of
which a screwed connection of the holding device is possible. A
disadvantage of correspondingly attaching the holding device is
that, in the context of the installation process, it is
work-intensive due to the sometimes poor accessibility and, in
addition, the screws cause an increase in weight.
[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a holding device
of the initially-cited type that can be easily and reliably
arranged on a motor vehicle seat.
[0007] The object of the invention is achieved by a holding device
having the features of claim 1. Advantageous further developments
of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.
[0008] It is characteristic of the holding device according to the
invention that on the connection flange: [0009] a fastening clip
having at least one adjustable retaining stud, which can be
adjusted between the locking position and an installed position in
an elastic manner, is formed on one side, and [0010] a locking
element is removably formed in a rest position on the other side,
wherein the locking element can be manually relocated through an
opening in the connection flange from the rest position into a
locking position in which the locking element blocks an elastic
relocation of the retaining stud into the assembly position.
[0011] According to the invention, the connection flange which, in
the installed position, generally lies flat on the component to
which the holding device is to be fastened, is formed from a
plastic material that makes it possible to also form on the
stopping flange a fastening clip that is adapted to a fastening
opening in the component to be connected. As usual, the fastening
clip has at least one elastically relocatable retaining stud. This
does not possess any elastic displacement in the rest position,
i.e., when the holding device is not installed, as well as normally
in the locking position that the fastening clip assumes when the
holding device is installed and the fastening clip is completely
inserted into an opening in the motor vehicle seat component. In
the assembly position i.e., while the fastening clip is shoved into
the opening in the motor vehicle seat component, the retaining stud
is elastically shoved into a position that it has when the
fastening clip is inserted into the associated opening. In the
installed position, the fastening clip is in the locking position
and lies within the opening relaxed or slightly elastically
deformed relative to the assembly position.
[0012] In addition to the fastening clip, the locking element is
also formed on the connection flange on the side opposite the
fastening clip before the holding device is initially installed.
According to the invention, the connection is designed so that it
can be released by manually actuating the locking element so that
the locking element can be easily displaced through the opening in
the connection flange into a locking position. In the locking
position, an elastic relocation of the fastening clip which would
be necessary to remove the fastening clip is blocked so that the
holding device is reliably secured in its installed position.
[0013] Forming the locking element as a single piece during the
manufacturing process for the holding device ensures that the
locking element remains on the holding device until it is initially
installed and hence cannot be lost. Only after the holding device
is positioned on the motor vehicle seat component--which is
associated with the arrangement of fastening clip in the associated
opening in the motor vehicle seat component--is the locking element
manually relocated through an opening in the connection flange from
the rest position to a locking position in which the locking
element blocks an elastic relocation of the retaining stud into the
assembly position. Manual relocation occurs by e.g. pressing--with
or without a hand tool--the locking element into the opening in the
connection flange.
[0014] The locking element in the locking position thereby secures
the location established by the fastening clip of the holding
device on the motor vehicle seat. It is impossible to remove the
holding device by simply relocating the retaining stud. The locking
element would first have to be removed which is why the embodiment
according to the invention accordingly enables a particularly
reliable arrangement of the holding device on the motor vehicle
seat. At the same time, the arrangement of the locking element
which is releasable by manual actuation allows the holding device
to be easily installed, wherein manual actuation is understood to
be pressing in the locking element both with a finger e.g. thumb,
or a manual actuation tool.
[0015] The embodiment of the fastening clip, especially its at
least one retaining stud, is freely selectable in principle.
According to one especially advantageous embodiment of the
invention, the retaining stud has a holding surface that extends
from the longitudinal axis of the fastening clip in the region of
its free end opposite the connection flange. The holding surface is
preferably designed so that, when the fastening clip is in the
locking position, it lies against a surface that preferably runs
perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the fastening clip
in the motor vehicle seat component, and thereby connects the
fastening clip in locking position in its axial direction in a form
fit with the motor vehicle seat component. In locking position, the
holding surface grips behind e.g. the peripheral edge region of an
opening through which the fastening clip extends in the locking
position.
[0016] According to one particularly advantageous embodiment of the
invention, the retaining stud further has a shape which narrows
from the holding surface toward the free end. A corresponding
embodiment such as a mushroom-shaped structure of the head makes it
easier and hence more economical to install the holding device on
the motor vehicle seat.
[0017] According to another embodiment of the invention, the freely
designable fastening clip has, as mentioned, at least two,
preferably at least three, especially preferably four retaining
studs arranged offset by approximately 90.degree. that jointly have
a circular inner and outer cross-section. According to this
embodiment of the invention, the fastening clip preferably has four
elastically relocatable retaining studs that can be elastically
relocated out of the locking position into the assembly position.
The use of in particular four retaining studs ensures that the
position of the fastening clip is very reliably secured in the
provided location hole in the motor vehicle seat component.
[0018] The preferably provided circular design of the outer
cross-section also makes it possible to easily create an opening
corresponding to the fastening clip by means of a corresponding
hole in the motor vehicle component provided for installation. The
preferably circular inner cross-section furthermore enables a
suitable locking element to be easily designed that, in a
particularly advantageous manner, is provided with a corresponding
cross-section and hence reliably locks the retaining stud in the
locking position. In case a circular inner cross-section is used,
the locking element can be provided with a correspondingly circular
cross-section so that the opening to be provided in the connection
flange for pushing through the locking element can also be easily
formed as a circle.
[0019] It is particularly preferable according to another
embodiment of the invention for the retaining studs to be arranged
adjacent with and run coaxial to the opening extending through the
connection flange. When in the locking position, the locking
element extending through the opening can to be arranged to lie
directly against the inner sides of the retaining studs which
generates a particularly reliable lock of the retaining studs.
[0020] As already explained above, the design of the locking
element is freely selectable in principle as long as it is
guaranteed that the locking element can be formed on so that it is
manually releasable with the holding device and can be pushed
through the opening into the locking position in which the
fastening clip is blocked. According to one particularly
advantageous embodiment of the invention, the locking element is
formed by a locking pin with a pin body and a pin head, wherein the
free end of the pin body opposite the pin head, when in rest
position, is coaxially connected to the connection flange by means
of a manually destructible plastic bar running coaxial to the
opening, wherein the cross-section of the pin body is designed such
that it can be shoved through the opening.
[0021] According to this embodiment, the locking pin is arranged
coaxial to the opening in the connection flange and, after the
plastic bar is disconnected, can be relocated into the locking
position by a purely axial shift. The locking pin has a pin body
that at its end opposite the pin head is connected by means of a
preferably peripheral plastic bar to the connection flange. The
dimensions of the plastic bar are configured so that it can be
broken by a manual exertion of force so that the locking pin can
then be relocated into its locking position. The plastic bar
provided for connection between the locking pin and the connection
flange therefore makes it possible to create the locking pin with
the holding device already during the plastic forming process of
the holding device. The arrangement with the plastic bar running
coaxial to the opening makes it possible to relocate the locking
pin out of its rest position into the locking position at the same
time as a relocation toward the opening which causes a
disconnection so that no additional actuation steps are necessary.
Overall, this embodiment of the invention accordingly allows the
holding device to be very easily and reliably assembled, wherein
the locking pin can be easily relocated out of its rest position
into a locking position that blocks the fastening clip. In a
corresponding embodiment, the pin head also allows an easy manual
application of force such that actuation tools for increasing the
actuation force can be dispensed with.
[0022] According to another embodiment of the invention, the pin
body has an expanded cross-section in the region of the pin head.
In an especially advantageous manner, the cross-sectional expansion
is adapted to the opening in the connection flange and has a
slightly larger cross-section. This makes it possible to easily fix
the location of the locking pin in its locking position in which
the locking pin is held clamped in the opening by means of the
cross-sectional expansion.
[0023] According to an advantageous further embodiment of the
invention, the connection flange has positioning pins on its stop
surface facing the motor vehicle seat components. These positioning
pins make it easier to secure the position and alignment of the
holding device on the motor vehicle seat component and additionally
secure the position of the holding device in a crash. The
cross-section of the positioning pins contributes in addition to
the cross-section of the fastening clips and locking elements.
[0024] As already mentioned at the onset, the holding device can in
principle be designed as desired. According to one particularly
advantageous embodiment of the invention, the holding device is,
however, characterized by a seat section for bearing a drive unit
and/or at least one channel for bearing a drive shaft. In a
corresponding embodiment, especially with an optional combined
arrangement both of the drive shafts and the drive unit, additional
components for securing their position can be dispensed with. In a
particularly advantageous manner, the seat section, the connection
flange, the fastening clip and/or the locking pin are made of a
fiberglass-reinforced and/or fiber-reinforced, especially
carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic that makes it possible to
economically form the holding device and its components with a low
weight and simultaneously high strength.
[0025] In a particularly advantageous manner, it is provided that
the holding device has two channels which connect on opposite sides
of a seat section and each receive one drive shaft, wherein each of
the ends of the channels opposite the seat section has one
connection flange.
[0026] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in the
following in more detail with reference to the drawings. The
drawings show:
[0027] FIG. 1 a perspective view of a holding device;
[0028] FIG. 2 a perspective view of an enlargement of an end of the
holding device from FIG. 1;
[0029] FIG. 3 a plan view of the enlarged section shown in FIG.
2;
[0030] FIG. 4 a sectional view of the section of the holding device
from FIG. 1 shown in FIG. 3 in its assembly position on a motor
vehicle seat rail, and
[0031] FIG. 5 a perspective view of the holding device from FIG. 1
in the assembly position on two oppositely arranged motor vehicle
seat rails.
[0032] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a holding device 1 that
is made of a fiberglass-reinforced plastic. The holding device has
a seat section 2 for arranging an electric motor, as well as two
channels 15, 15a that connect to the seat section 2 and are for
receiving and securing the position of a first drive shaft 17 as
well as a second drive shaft (not shown). A connection flange 3, 3a
running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the channels
connects to each end of the channels 15, 15a, wherein the
connection flanges 3, 3a in the installed position of the holding
device 1 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are arranged on a bottom seat frame
with their outer sides on the inner sides of seat top rails 16 that
are adjustable relative to the bottom rails 18 arrangeable on the
vehicle floor.
[0033] To secure the position of the holding device 1 on the top
rails 16, the holding device 1 has two fastening clips 4 arranged
at a distance from each other on the outer sides of the connection
flanges 3, 3a, as well as two positioning pins 14 arranged at a
distance from each other between the fastening clips 4. The
fastening clips 4 each have four retaining studs 5 that are offset
90.degree. from each other and have an arced cross section so that
they jointly form a circular outer cross-section and inner
cross-section of the fastening clip 4. The fastening clips 4 and
the positioning pins 14 are inserted in openings in the seat top
rail 16 when the holding device 1 is in the installed position. The
diameter of the openings for the fastening clips 4 in the seat rail
16 is dimensioned so that the free, mushroom-shaped ends have a
greater diameter. In order to arrange the holding device 1 on the
seat top rails 16, an elastic relocation of the retaining studs 5
from their unloaded rest position into an assembly position is
therefore necessary in which the retaining studs 5 are adjusted
toward the longitudinal axis of the fastening clip 4.
[0034] Given the mushroom-shaped design of the free end 9 of the
fastening clips 4, the locking pin 6 has in the region of its free
end 9 an annular peripheral holding surface 8 with an outer
diameter that is larger than the inner diameter of the opening in
the seat rail 16. After the complete insertion of the fastening
clips 4, the retaining studs 5 are arranged in a locking position,
corresponding to the rest position, in which the free ends of the
fastening clips 4 provided with holding surfaces 8 abut, or are
directly adjacent to, a side of the seat top rail 16 opposite the
connection flange. A fastening clip 4 therefore can only be pulled
out of the opening in the seat rail 16 when the retaining studs 5
are relocated toward the mid-axis of the fastening clip.
[0035] To prevent such a relocation, a locking pin 6 is
respectively arranged on the side of the connection flanges 3, 3a
opposite the fastening clip 4. In the unassembled position, the
locking pin 6 is connected by means of a thin plastic bar 12 to the
connection flange 3, 3a, wherein the plastic bar 12 runs coaxial to
an opening 7 in the connection flange 3, 3a that has an inner
diameter which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the
pin body 10 of the locking pin 6.
[0036] In the assembly position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the
connection by means of the plastic bar 12 is interrupted by
manually pressing on the pin head 11, and the locking pin 6 is
shoved through the opening 7 when the holding device 1 is in the
installed position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, wherein the outer
surfaces of the pin body 10 lie against the inner surfaces of the
retaining studs 5 which are hence relocated via a radial relocation
toward an assembly position in which the fastening clip 4 would be
removable from the opening in the holding rail 16. A
cross-sectional expansion 13 of the pin body 10 in the region of
the pin head 11 guarantees that the locking pin 6 is friction
locked in its locking position and therefore secures in a
particularly reliable manner the holding device 1 in its installed
position on the seat top rail 16.
* * * * *